Why do Catholics kneel down when they come into church? Why do they bow before the altar?
There are several actions that Catholics do in a Catholic church to show reverence to the Blessed Sacrament and to the altar upon which bread and wine are consecrated during the Mass. In general, kneeling is a posture that always denotes reverence, humility, and prayer (a concept evident both in the Old and New Testaments). It helps a person to become present for worship, and to quiet the body and mind before God. Bowing has a similar meaning of humility, obeisance, and reverence. When Catholics enter and leave a church, they usually touch the right knee to the floor (genuflection), which reverently acknowledges the presence of the Blessed Sacrament reserved in the church’s tabernacle (a small, usually beautifully ornate container with an opening facing out toward the church). This genuflection is done facing the tabernacle (usually most easily identified by the nearby presence of a sanctuary lamp, a lit candle usually within a red glass cylinder). Bowing while genuflecting is often do
